“They said, ‘Heal up, and as soon as you’re healed up, then start training, and we’ll get you on a card,” Noons today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Noons, who ended his stint in Strikeforce with a 3-4 mark on his ledger, is excited about the possibility of fighting in the UFC. But there’s a harder pill he has to swallow, and that’s the financial impact of his recent loss.

The former pro boxer, EliteXC champion and onetime Strikeforce welterweight title challenger said half his paycheck for the year was taken away when Couture was declared the winner of their the preliminary-card fight, which aired on Showtime Extreme this past Saturday, Jan. 12, at Chesapeake Energy Center in Oklahoma City.

Couture himself appeared shocked when the decision was read.

Noons lost the fight in the first and third round, according to two judges who gave Couture a 10-9 score in the frames. The third judge scored all rounds for Noons for a 30-27 shutout. (MMAjunkie.com was one of the few media outlets to score the fight for Couture, though it was an obvious close call.)

The discrepancy prompted Noons to wonder aloud about the qualifications for being a judge.

“Because in my mind I’m thinking, there’s just some judge who’s an older person, comes from boxing and enjoys the sport, and after the fight he’s going to get with his buddies and be like, ‘Great fights,'” Noons said. “And has no real sense of the consequences of what’s actually going into the decision. The decision is my life. My career.”

The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event, wasn’t available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com.

As earlier reported, Noons made $41,000 for the bout. He would have made $77,000 (including $36,000 as a win bonus) with a victory.

Since the fight, Noons said he’s received messages that say he should find a silver lining in the $41,000 he made for 15 minutes of work. If he hadn’t fought just once in 2012, he might be more receptive.

“My last paycheck was a little bit under $40,000 a year ago,” he said. “So now I made $40,000 last year. After taxes, and you have to pay your team, now I’ve got $30,000. Now I have to catch up on all my bills before my last fight. So there goes another $5,000 or $10,000. Now I have to live for a whole year off of $20,000?

“That was the real frustrating thing about Strikeforce. It’s like, ‘OK, you’re going to get a fight. (And then) no, it’s canceled.’ (It was like that) the whole year. The thing about the UFC is they are going to get you three fights a year.”

Noons, of course, has yet to put pen to paper with the promotion. But when he does, he’s interested in a rematch with Couture.

“I can pout on it and complain, or dust myself off, know that in my head I won the fight, and take this and turn it into a positive,” Noons said.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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